2-Ethylhexanoic acid is the
organic compound with the
formula CH
3(CH
2)
3CH(C
2H
5)CO
2H. This
carboxylic acid is widely used to prepare metal derivatives that are soluble in nonpolar organic solvents. These lipophilic metal-containing derivatives are used as
catalysts in
polymerizations. For example, tin 2-ethylhexanoate is used in the production of
poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid). The high solubility of these metal complexes is attributable to the long hydrocarbon chain and the presence of a
chiral center which leads to mixtures of
enantiomeric complexes. These metal complexes are often described as salts, when in fact they are not ionic but charge-neutral
coordination complexes akin to the better defined, more crystalline
acetates.